SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, February 18: Dissenting Congress MLAs today categorically told Jharkhand Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir that they will only attend the budget session once the party decides to replace the four ministers in the Champai Soren government.
Speaking to The Jharkhand Story, Bermo MLA Anup Singh said all 12 MLAs are intact. “We told Mir that we will not attend the budget session till our demands are met,” he added.
If they don’t attend the House and the government falls during a vote on a money bill, Singh retorted that it is for the party to think. “We have full faith in the central leadership. That’s why we have come to Delhi,” he pointed out.
Dissenting MLAs eye 12th berth
Singh, son of veteran Congress leader late Rajendra Prasad Singh, said we also want the vacant berth in the Soren cabinet.
He said the Jharkhand Congress leadership kept the central high command in the dark about state affairs.
“The State leadership informed us that since the JMM is not adding new ministers, the Congress won’t make any changes. But this was not the case. JMM added two new ministers. We were outraged and told the PCC about it,” he added.
The MLAs who are camping in a resort in Delhi are Deepika Pandey, Anup Singh, Irfan Ansari, Bhushan Bada, Rajesh Kacchap, Amba Prasad, Sonaram Sinku and Umashankar Akela.
Singh said that Purnima Neeraj Singh has also joined us today, and the other three MLAs, Naman Pixel Kongari, Shilpy Neha Tirkey, and Ram Chandra Singh, have yet to come for pressing personal reasons.
Notably, the eight Congress MLAs rushed to Delhi after Champai Soren expanded his cabinet on February 16, sidestepping their demand to replace the four old ministers-Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta, Badal Patralekh and Alamgir Alam.
The JMM alliance has 47 MLAs — 29 from the JMM, 17 from the Congress, and one from the RJD in the 81-member Assembly.
Budget session begins on Feb 23
The Budget session is scheduled from February 23 to March 2. So, it will be a litmus test for Champai Soren to keep the MLAs intact, as the government will fall on the floor of the House if they don’t get a majority mark during voting on a money bill.
According to the rule, the government must have a simple majority of more than 50% of the members present and voting in the House.
Number in favour of Champai Soren
However, if these 12 MLAs abstain, then the strength of the House goes down to 68, and the majority mark will be 35. So, even if they abstain, the government will survive.
The government will be in trouble only when they vote with the BJP, which is unlikely in the current scenario.
BJP not interested in forming govt
The BJP, according to sources, would not like to face the charge of toppling the government and vindicating Hemant Soren, who charged that he was implicated in a ‘false’ case to throw out his government.
Advantage JMM, if Congress rocks Soren boat
A political watcher said it would put the JMM in an advantageous position if the government fell, and if the BJP refuses to form the government, it would pave the way for the president’s rule in Jharkhand.
He said the anti-incumbency factor against the JMM alliance government would be diluted if there was presidential rule in Jharkhand. He cited the JMM’s track record in the 2009 election.
President’s rule in 2009 after Shibu Soren lost elections
There was presidential rule in Jharkhand on February 26 2009, after the then Chief Minister Shibu Soren lost assembly by-elections from Tamar. In the elections held in November-December 2009, the BJP-JD (U) tally came down to 18 from 30 in 2004, while the JMM number went up to 18.
JMM desperation to save govt
Incidentally, the JMM has shown desperation to save the government, as proved by two actions. First, Basant Soren rushed to alleviate the dissenting Congress MLAs unsuccessfully before they flew to Delhi. Second, Chief Minister Champai Soren signed a notification for the caste census before flying to New Delhi and meeting Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Notably, the caste census is at the top of Rahul Gandhi’s agenda and not that of the JMM.
